For the past two or three weeks common cranes have been passing over the Dordogne, but only in groups of 100 or so flying north. These are seen about 2 or 3 days interval, the first being on 15th Feb. In a normal year I expect to see them in the thousands during the last two weeks of Feb. Have I missed them this year or have they changed their route ? Maybe it is theunusual weather conditions: down here we have had very cold nights with hard frosts in the morning, followed by glorious sunny days, I believe the conditions further north have been cold and wet. I am hoping that now the weather has changed with a southerly wind I might still be in luck.
Most of the cranes fly to northern Germany and Scandinavia, but I read that some do now go to the UK, on the east coast.
I have been waiting to get a good photo with my new camera, since this is not happening this year I am posting some I took in previous years.
Roy B, Semper Sersum
Hi FOFOF
You can find daily updates on the crane migration through France on this site - I can't find an English language version, but Google Translate works fairly well.
There is a comment on the 3rd which might suggest why you haven't been seeing many; " an observer located in the Gironde counted 30,000 cranes in just 45 minutes ! The corridor is shifted slightly to the north-west"
Are you in Dordogne department? If so, you may know this sightings database, Faune-Aquitaine, which has been showing major crane movements in the last few days. I would love to see them!
I am not sure whether British-based cranes do migrate - the ones released in Somerset have been there all winter. Great Crane Project